Grapple.



H. F; KHLER.

GMIPPLE. V.APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

987,242. I Patented Manzl, 1911;-

oNiTED sTnTEs PATENT 4oEEicE.

HENRY r. KOHLER, or wHITTrER, CALIFORNIA.

GRAPPLE.

To all whom it 'may concern.' y

13e it known that I, HENRY F. KOHLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVhittier, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grapples, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of grapples used in oil-well drilling operations and commonly known as fishing tools, and the main object thereof is to provide a device that may be lowered into an oil-well casing when a tool or parts o f a drilling apparatus have been lost therein, and that will instantly grapple the same irrespective of the size of the object, and enable the operator to quickly andeasily bring them to the surface.

Another object is to provide a tool that 'is automatic in its operation and which will firmly retain in place the object grappl'ed until it is brought to the surface.

A further object is to provide a device that is simple in operation, economical in manufacture, one that has few parts, and that will not get out of order readily.

I accomplish these objects by means of the device described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1- is a central vertical section through my complete tool, a number of the arins removed therefrom for clarity of illustration. Fig. Q- is a side elevation of my lcomplete device with the grappling arms thereof in their open or extended position. Fig. 3- is a sectional plan view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. etis a detail side elevation of one of the grappling arins showing the method of mounting the tooth-gripping dog;

Referring more particularly to the drawings, iny device consists essentially of a hollow body 5, preferably a cylindrical tube, which is of a suiiicient length to enable the operator to lower the tool into the deepest casings. The lower end of this tube is provided with a bearing shoe 6 rigidly secured thereto, which is designed to strengthen the tube at its lower end. Rigidly secured to tube 5 above the lower end thereof is a steel conical casting 7 held in place thereon by a set-screw S, and is designed to prevent interference with links 10, which compose the upper members of a plurality of toggles 11, when the device is lowered into or raised out of the casing (not shown). Secured to Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 22, 1909.

Serial No. 484,878.

tube 5 and directly beneath casting 7 is a collar 1Q which is provided with a plurality of apertured bearing lugs 13 equal in numA 'bei' to the pivoted links 10, this collar is held in position by means of a second collar lt which is rigidly secured directly beneath the same to the tube by means of set-screws. rlhe upper ends of links 10 are pivoted in the bearings 13, and the lower ends are pivotally secured to the upper ends of the grappling arms 15. These arms extend downwardly and are bent at approximately right angles and extend through enlarged aperture 16 formed in the lower end of a mandrel 1.7, the upper end of the mandrel being cylin drical and extends upwardly into the lower end of tube 5. Each ofthe grappling arins are pivoted as at 18 in the mandrel and eX- tend downwardly a sufficient distance to enable an object to be gripped thereby. The lower end of each of these arms are provided with a plurality of steel dogs 19 pivoted thereto and provided on their lower faces with serrations 20 as clearly illustrated in Fig. et of the drawing. Each of the arms where these dogs are pivoted thereto have a cut-away portion adapted to form a shouldered seat 21 for the dogs when they are in the position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. It will be noted by an inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawing that the grappling arms 1.5 are of different lengths, this is to permit of their being pivoted to the mandrel 17, and to take up as little space as possible.

The operation of my device is as follows: Then a tool or other object is accidentally lost in a well during a drilling operation, the apparatus, such as an underreamer, is immediately withdrawn and the grappling tool lowered into the casing, the tool being in the closed position illustrated in Fig. l of the drawing. When the lower ends of the grappling arms come in contact with the object sought for, the arins will be forced into approximately the position illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the steel toothed dogs contacting therewith. When this has been accomplished the tube 5 containing the grappling device secured to the lower end thereof is drawn upwardly and the weight of the grappling arms will exert a downward pull on the toggle and force the teeth of the dogs into a gripped relation with the object, which then may .be withdrawn with ease and rapidity.

Patented Mar. 21, 1911.'

It will be observed from the foregoing lptheir length to the said mandrel, the lower kdescription that I have designed a simple and efficient mechanism, whereby objects or articles lost in oil or other Wells may be quickly Withdrawn therefrom in a minimum amount of time, and with little or no inconvenience to the operator.

Having described my inventio-n what I Claim as 'new and` desire to secure Vby-YLet ters Patent is y i Y l. A grapple, comprising two members, one of said members being stationary and the other movable, the movable member be-l ing journaled in the stationary member, a plurality of grapple arms pivotally secured midway their length to the movable member, the upper end of said arms being pivotally connected to the stationary member, and a plurality of pivoted engaging dogs secured to the llower ends of the grapple arms.` 4 r '2j A grapple, comprising a hollow stationary member and a vertically reciprocatingmandrel journaled therein, a plurality Y of grapple arms pivotally secured midway each of said grapple arms,

end of said arms being provided with pivoted engaging dogs, and a plurality of links pivotally secured to the upper end of the grapple arms and to said stationary member.

3. A grapple, comprising a stationary member and a mandrel reciprocating therein,

ya plurality of grapple arms pivotally secured midway their length to the mandrel., a plurality of gripping dogs pivotally secured to and a plurality of links, said links being pivotally connected to the upper ends of said grapple arms and their free ends being pivoted to the stationary member.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of March, 1909. l

HENRY F. KOHLER.

Vitnesses EDMUND A. STRAUSE, MYRTLE A. PALMER.

VCopies of this pa '.ent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addrfssi-'rg the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

